Geneva beats St. Charles East to end losing streak
After more than a season, Geneva returned to the win column Friday night in dramatic fashion.
The Vikings, dominating on both sides of the ball in a 30-0 win over DuKane Conference rival St. Charles East at Norris Stadium, broke a winless streak that goes back to the 2018 campaign.
While the offense racked up a total of 361 yards and scored in every quarter, the defense held the Saints to a total of 120 yards, picked off four St. Charles East passes and forced two fumbles.
"I'm not sure what this feeling is," said Geneva coach Rob Wicinski after the victory. "It's been quite awhile."
"We turned the ball over way too much," St. Charles East coach Bryce Faraquahr said. "Hats off to them. When they needed to make the big play, they did."
Ethan Mayer (117 yards on 17 carries) capped a 9-play, 51-yard drive with a 5-yard run to score Geneva's first touchdown with 5:07 to play in the first quarter.
Two minutes into the second quarter, Konnor Mickelsen scored the first of his two TDS on a 3-yard run.
"It feels good. We have been working toward it for almost two years," Mickelsen said of the long-awaited win. "This is just a small step but now we have the momentum rolling and looking forward to our next opponent."
St. Charles East (0-2, 0-2) was unable to get its offense on track in the first half. Mason Pawelko's interception of Nathan Hayes' passes terminated St. Charles East's first two drives of the game. The Saints' first possession of the second quarter ended quickly when Geneva's defense recovered a fumble on the kickoff.
"I thought (the defense) really played fast tonight and it showed with the turnovers," Wicinski said.
St. Charles East missed a chance to cut into Geneva's lead just before halftime. Michael Weaver picked off a Jackson Reyes pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown only to have a penalty nullify the TD.
The Vikings led 13-0 at intermission.
Reyes, a sophomore, and Alex Porter, a junior, alternated under center for the Vikings. Porter completed 8 of 11 attempts for 110 yards while Reyes connected on 3 of 9 tosses for 93 yards.
"I've got a sophomore and a junior at quarterback," Wicinski said. "It's like who matures the quickest so we are playing it out to see how the season unfolds."
Geneva (1-1, 1-1) extended its lead in the third quarter to 20-0 on a 6-yard Mickelsen run.
The Vikings added 10 more points in the final period. John Frieders hit a 34-yard field goal. Michael Ignoffo caught a 41-yard Reyes pass for a touchdown.
Geneva's defense kept up its pressure in the second half by snaring two more Saints passes and forcing another turnover with a fumble recovery.